The Arab Institute of Business Leaders (IACE) has just published the main results of its survey on the economic impact of electricity outages on businesses during the summer of 2026. The study reveals the magnitude of disruptions faced by companies, the cost of downtime, and the pressures exerted on their investment capacity. It notably highlights the risk of firms mobilizing resources to secure their electricity supply at the expense of productive investments.
The sample comprises industrial companies, service-sector firms, and commercial enterprises. The survey results show that, in total, 96% of respondents reported experiencing power outages, including 58.3% who faced them several times a day. Over the two studied months (July and August 2026), the average loss reached 13 days of activity. Nearly three out of ten (29%) reported losing at least 20 days, equivalent to a full working month. The consequences also affect equipment. Close to two-thirds of respondents reported material damage, notably to motors, compressors, and production machinery, ahead of IT hardware and servers.
The survey shows that a decline in turnover is reported by 63.5% of firms, a proportion that rises to 83% in the manufacturing industry. Among exporting companies, 29.4% reported missing deadlines, with penalties or loss of customers, while 8.3% resorted to subcontracting or importing to compensate for the disruptions. Additionally, 30.5% of firms reported a rise in the cost of their inputs, while price increases in selling prices remain rare.
“The direct loss of value added due to activity stoppages caused by electricity outages is estimated at 1,269.6 million dinars.” The manufacturing industry accounts for 671.5 million dinars, ahead of services (316.1 million dinars) and trade (282.1 million dinars). Note that this estimate measures the value added that companies could not generate because of the interruptions in activity. However, it does not include other damages suffered, notably the material damage to equipment, loss of customers, and any penalties, which add to the economic shortfall.
Before the summer of 2026, 56% of surveyed companies did not have backup equipment. Following the outages, 74% plan to invest in the next twelve months to secure their electricity supply. In conclusion, IACE indicated that no surveyed company reported having been compensated for the consequences of power outages. Furthermore, 1% of companies report having compensation claims in progress or denied.
